The Seventh Art Stand is a rapid response initiative which utilizes film to bridge communities and create new inroads for civil rights discussion.
The Seventh Art Stand has been covered by many national outlets, including The New York Times.
The first edition of the Seventh Art Stand took place in May 2017, after the initial Travel Ban, and was organized by Courtney Sheehan of Northwest Film Forum, Richard Abramowitz of Abramorama, and filmmaker Vivian Hua. Centered around Anti-Islamophobia, over 50 participating venues in half the States held discussions and showed films from the countries affected by the ban The second installment was dedicated to Uplifting Black Voices, after the Philando Castile ruling. The third, in Fall 2018, is around Migrant Solidarity.
ORGANIZERS
COURTNEY SHEEHAN, CO-FOUNDER
Courtney Sheehan is the executive director for Northwest Film Forum, the independent film arts center in Seattle, Wash.
RICHARD ABRAMOWITZ, CO-FOUNDER
Richard Abramowitz is at the forefront of innovation in the world of distribution and marketing of independent films. He has been an industry-leader in personalized, focused film marketing and distribution that bypasses traditional film studio methodology, providing valuable, customized distribution alternatives to content makers and owners.
VIVIAN HUA, CO-FOUNDER
Vivian Hua is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer who is fascinated by synthesizing divergent styles, groups, and schools of thought. Much of her work unifies her interest in the metaphysical with her belief that art can positively transform the self and society. After more than a decade of splitting her time between Editor-in-Chief of an arts and music publication called REDEFINE, Hua expands upon her artistic and activist career with her latest narrative short film, Searching Skies.
= UPLIFTING BLACK VOICES SERIES 2017 =
MOHAMMED NAEEM, NATIONAL ORGANIZER
Mohammed Naeem is an organizer & speaker. He has commanded stages alongside Nobel Peace Prize laureates, political leaders, and civic stakeholders; urging the need for laws that uphold gender and civil equality. Since the election, Naeem has also led some of the largest demonstrations of civil resistance in New York City, mobilizing tens of thousands on the streets – and millions online.
ANJANETTE LEVERT, NATIONAL ORGANIZER
Anjanette Levert is a media maker, advocate and idea maven. She has made two short films, “Shake It Up and Shake It Down” about Freaknik, Black College Springbreak held in Atlanta, Georgia. Her second film, “The Wedding Proposal” not only earned her a Masters of Fine Arts in Documentary Film from the City College of New York, but won awards and played in over 20 film festivals. Out of her personal need to find a place to get scripts done, she created “The Stonehouse Residency” for writers and artists. While at The Stonehouse she is writing and developing several nonfiction and fictional feature films, including one based on her personal essay, “Free Swim.” In the fall of 2017 she excitedly joins the faculty at Spelman College as an adjunct professor in the newly created major in Documentary Film.
= MUSLIM EMPOWERMENT SERIES 2017 =
LIV ABRAMOWITZ is the Marketing Director at Abramorama, the preeminent theatrical distributor of music films in the US today and recognized for the consistent high quality of its work on award winning feature films.
JESSICA SCHNEIDER an expert content marketer with a background in fashion, branding and project management. She has led social media strategies for a number of films, brands and projects — expertly crafting content streams that build and engage audiences around a variety of genres.
BRYCE KIRCHOFF has produced communication campaigns for organizations at all levels of the media industry and managed dozens of successful audience engagement initiatives. He has launched and optimized websites, crafted multi-platform promotional strategies, and enhanced content management systems for a wide variety of entities.